Worship service 2/5/2017Today we welcome Dianne Star who will be leading our service while Pastor Kathy is on vacation. We are blessed to have so many gifted members in our congregation!

Salt seasons food, preserves food. In Judaism, it is a symbol of covenant. Our table salt is at least 98% pure. The salt in Jesus’ time came from the Dead Sea. It was created by filling a container and allowing the sea water to evaporate. What was left was salt and a host of other minerals. The low purity level of Dead Sea salt is why it loses it flavor.

Light came from fire - the burning of oils or vegetation. Fire cooks food; it keeps us warm; it lights the darkness. In Judaism, light is a symbol of the Torah.

So, what was Jesus saying by telling his disciples they were salt and light? Jesus wanted them to show what their religion taught and to bring goodness to the lives of others.

This is because Jesus and the prophet Isaiah saw the same problem - religious rituals that did not affect daily lives or social action.

Isaiah says that the people fast but treat their employees harshly. The people quarrel and fight, and do whatever they want.

Jesus saw religious leaders who wrapped themselves up in their rituals and called themselves righteous and others unrighteous.

Jesus was a follower of some of the Jewish teachers of his day who applied the principle of “light and heavy” to the biblical commandments. The “light” commandments were not to be ignored, but they should not get in the way of the “heavy” commandments. Jesus’ problem with the Pharisees was that the Pharisees treated all laws with the same weight. The prophets and Jesus gave more weight to laws dealing with injustice and oppression, the vulnerable and hungry.

When Jesus said he came to fulfil the Law and Prophets, he wanted to show people how to act like the God to whom the scriptures pointed. The dilemma of the Pharisees and all who heard Jesus’ message was - remain loyal to the word of God through Moses or believe God was speaking a new word through Jesus.How do we apply this story to our lives?

Jesus says to all of us and to each one of us - you are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world. This is not some future promise or something to strive for; this is who we are right here and now.

Our dilemma is the same - remain loyal to religious traditions or act like the God to whom our scriptures point. For me, I believe our calling is not about institutional survival or defending our traditions; it is about our presence and work in the world.

Religious rituals, like attending church, should not be discarded. It is in and through these rituals that we learn and we rejuvenate ourselves. But justice, love, mercy, hope and faith must always be our guide and our goal in our interactions with others.

Rev. John Pavlovitz describes the radical extremism that Jesus lays out in the Sermon on the Mount, “It’s the greatest thing a Christian can aspire to … cultivating a heart which spends itself on behalf of the hurting, the forgotten, the silenced, the wounded in the most audacious manner, even to the point of its breaking.”

This is challenging and exciting work. Jesus told his disciples to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned. We believe God is still speaking and our faith is still relevant in our lives today. There have been prophets all through history. We have prophets today; people who are very visible light and salt to our world.

I hear them calling us to break down the barriers between us and them, to welcome the immigrant, the vulnerable and those who live in fear; to support healthcare, food security, and a clean environment; and to ensure equal rights, jobs and education for all.

We should do this not by loudly discrediting what others believe, or by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are.

When people encounter us, they should feel love and the chance for a different world.

I leave you with this story a friend told me many years ago.

Two groups of missionaries went to Africa. The first group entered a village and began to preach. They told the villagers they were sinners, that they needed to repent, and be baptized. The villagers drove them away.

The other group of missionaries found a village that needed a school building. When they arrived, they started to build the school. The villagers watched. One day the villagers asked, why are you doing this for us? It was then that the missionaries shared the story of their Jesus and God.